Take a moment.Go back to that fateful moment.You know the one.You step up.The spotlight is on you.Your heart is racing.And then... Nothing. Your mind goes blank.It's as if all the preparation, all the hard work just evaporates into thin air.
Suddenly, you're standing there and the silence is deafening. This happened to me during my neuro-linguistic programming assessment to become a trainer.I remember it clearly.There I was, standing there, ready to ace the session, and then... crickets.
I froze.I completely stalled and... had absolutely nothing.If this has ever happened to you, know that you're not alone. Even the most seasoned speakers have had moments like this.
This freeze, this mental blank, is one of the most common fears in public speaking.
Glossophobia, or the fear of public speaking, consistently ranks as one of the world's most popular phobias, more so than the fear of spiders, fear of the dark, or fear of heights.While freezing or forgetting what to say doesn't last long,
the memory lingers and can discourage people from speaking in public.
Hello there, I'm Simon Lewis, and today we're going to dive into why so many speakers go blank in the spotlight, what are the key triggers, and most importantly, what can we do to avoid these panic moments?
By the end of this podcast, you'll understand the key reasons behind mental blanking and freezing on stage, and you'll realize that even the most confident speakers have faced this challenge.
Overcoming it is not about having more confidence, it's about building a set of skills that allow you to perform under pressure.So let's begin.
To understand why mental blanking happens, we need to explore some common factors that trigger this response. Now remember, these are not personal flaws.
They're actually deeply rooted in how our minds and bodies handle stress, how we work on the inside.One of the main reasons people freeze is feeling overwhelmed.This might come from suddenly realizing the scope of the task at hand.
Perhaps the audience is larger than expected, or the setting feels more formal or high-stakes.We become flooded with information, our minds juggling the material we've prepared with the added pressure of the unfamiliar environment.
And sensory perception too.It's almost like being in a completely new place where you don't speak the language.Your brain gets overloaded and can't focus clearly.
Public speaking, especially in front of large audiences or during important events, is an environment we just don't spend much time in.So when we're thrust into it, we often experience a bit of a shock.
According to a Harvard Business Review study on imposter syndrome, high-achieving individuals often feel that they're not deserving of their success, which can trigger stress and blanking during high-stakes situations like public speaking.
So what is imposter syndrome?It's the sneaky belief that you don't know enough or that you're not as qualified as others perceive you to be.
People suffering from imposter syndrome often think they're a fraud and fear being exposed, even when they're incredibly knowledgeable or skilled.They might start thinking, I'm not an expert.What if they find out I don't deserve to be here?
It's that emperor suddenly realizing that he's not wearing any clothes.And believe me, no one wants to be that guy.
The feeling often stems from childhood experiences, particularly in a home or school environment that emphasized achievement and criticized failure.
Over time, this can create a comparative mindset where you constantly measure yourself against others and feel that you don't stack up. Now, this next one might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes overconfidence can lead to freezing up.
When you put immense pressure on yourself to deliver a flawless performance, the stakes might just become too high.
One unexpected hiccup, like a tough question or an audience member not responding as you imagined, can throw you off balance and into panic mode. And closely tied to overconfidence is perfectionism.
Perfectionists set incredibly high, often unattainable standards for themselves.Any minor mistake feels monumental.If the speech doesn't go perfectly, they feel it's a failure.
Perfectionism shifts your focus away from the message you're trying to deliver and toward the fear of making even the tiniest mistake. And a freeze can also be triggered by the unexpected.You prepare for days, maybe weeks, to nail your speech.
But there's always that one thing you didn't plan for.Maybe the projector doesn't work, or someone asks a curveball question.Whatever it is, it's often the surprises, not the prepared content, that cause people to go blank.
So what exactly is mental blanking?It's that frustrating moment when you forget everything you've prepared despite everything you've done.
It often happens during critical moments, just as you step onto a stage, begin a meeting, or answer an unexpected question.In my case, it happened during an assessment.At any other time, I'd have had the answer, but there, in that moment, nothing.
There are a number of common triggers for this phenomenon, so these are the ones to look out for, and they all relate to how our minds deal with stress and pressure. The first one is information overload.
When you're on stage or in a high-pressure environment, you're under pressure to recall a lot of information and handle a lot of things going on at once.
You're thinking about your main points, trying to read the audience's reactions, managing the tech, all while ensuring your speech flows seamlessly.That's a lot of cognitive load.There's also the spotlight effect.
So if you've ever felt like everyone in the audience is staring at you, analyzing every word and gesture, that's what I mean.It's the tendency to overestimate how much people are paying attention to you.
And on stage, it's easy to imagine being right under the microscope, isn't it?But to be honest, the reality is actually very different.Most people are just focused on the message.After all, they are there to learn something useful.
And then there's the fear of judgment.Public speaking is one of the most public forms of potential judgment.The fear that others are evaluating you negatively makes you more self-conscious, which can lead to overthinking in real time.
As a result, you might lose your train of thought and phrase. Now, before we talk about how to recognize the signs and avoid freezing next time you speak, I just wanted to check in with you.
If you're enjoying the discussion, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.I'm here to bring you more tips and advice on public speaking skills in each episode, and I'd hate for you to miss out.
Better yet, if you know someone who could also benefit, why not share it too? Now, the good news is that mental blanking, while common, doesn't have to catch you off guard.There are ways to recognise the signs early on and to mitigate the effects.
As the American Psychological Association explains, the brain's amygdala triggers the freeze response in moments of stress.
For many, speaking in front of an audience activates this very response, leading to a blank mind as the body reacts to what it perceives as a threat. But rest assured, this is simply the body's natural reaction to stress kicking in.
The amygdala is the part of your brain responsible for the fight-or-flight response, and can sometimes perceive the audience or the stage as a threat. When this happens, your body's adrenaline spikes, preparing you to either fight, i.e.
run, or sometimes freeze.Symptoms like a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, or shaking hands are signs that your body is approaching the stress response. Now, think about it.When you're on stage, your brain is doing a lot of work.
Not only are you trying to remember your speech, but you're also managing your nervousness, reading audience reactions, thinking ahead to the next point, hanging, handling your volume to make sure you can hear you at the back, and remembering which button to press on the slide clicker.
That's a lot of plates to spin.And when the brain has too much to juggle, it can kind of go into an overload, leading to freezing right up
And if you're worried about freezing up before you even start speaking, this worry can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.It's the law of confirmation bias in action.The more you fear the moment, the more likely it becomes.
So now that we've unpacked what causes mental blanking, let's talk about what you can do to prevent it.Remember, public speaking isn't magic.It's a skill that you can learn and improve. Confidence isn't something you're born with.
It's something you develop.Every speaker, no matter how polished, has felt nervous at some point.Confidence grows through preparation, through practice, and through experience.
The goal isn't to feel no nerves, but to know how to manage them when they arise.You can also take time to reflect on why you freeze.Perhaps it's fear of judgment.Maybe it's perfectionism.Or maybe it's imposter syndrome.
Once you understand your triggers, it becomes much easier to manage them.One of the best ways to manage nervousness is to focus on your message, not on yourself.Remember, public speaking is about delivering value to your audience.
When you shift the focus from how you're being perceived to the message you're sharing, the pressure eases right off.Visualize the audience as a group of supporters, eager to hear what you have to say. Now, consider those spinning plates.
Now, I'm not suggesting they'll always fall, but what I am saying is that the more you practice managing stressful workloads, the better you'll get at handling them.
For example, airline pilots get in the simulator every few months to practice emergencies.Luckily, public speaking is nowhere near as difficult as that.
But the outcome is that pilots practice enough to feel calm, comfortable and in control no matter what.If they can do it, you can too. Let's imagine a future where freezing or forgetting in the spotlight no longer haunts you.
You step onto the stage, take a breath, and know that you've got this.The nerves might still be there, but they don't control you anymore.You've trained your brain, practiced your skills, and now you see the audience for what they truly are.
A group of people ready and excited to hear your message. When you no longer see public speaking as an opportunity to fail, but as a chance to share value, everything changes.
You'll find that opportunities open up, whether it's promotions, leadership roles, or simply moving up the ladder at work.Public speaking isn't reserved for a select few.It's a skill that anyone can learn.
The next time you feel that familiar wave of panic or a mental blank creeping up, remind yourself, you're not broken, you're learning.Before we wrap up today's episode, let's recap a few key takeaways. The first is this.
Mental blanking happens to everyone, even the most experienced speakers.But it happens for known reasons.You just need to work out what those reasons are and do something about them.Secondly, freezing on stage isn't a sign of personal weakness.
It's a psychological and physiological response to stress.It's natural. You can also train your mind and your body to handle pressure with practice and the right techniques.
And finally, confidence is a skill that you can build with time, effort and a bit of reframing. So the next time you find yourself in the spotlight, remember, you're not alone and you're not out of your depth.
You have the power to transform that nervous energy into something that works in your favor. If you found today's episode helpful, be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with others who might benefit.
And if you're ready to take your public speaking skills to the next level, head over to ConfidenceSpeakerPro.com.Let's work together to turn your nerves into strength.Thank you for listening, and until next time, speak soon.
Sign in
